Youngest pulsar
- Who
- PSR J1846-0258
- When
- August 2000
A team of astronomers at Columbia University, led by Dr Dr. Eric Gotthelf, have discovered the youngest pulsar yet. The superdense stellar corpse, called
PSR J1846-0258, is located on the other side of our Milky Way galaxy, some 60,000 light years away and is only 700 years old. A pulsar is the compressed core of a massive star, which has blown itself to smithereens in a supernova. A sphere the size of a small city, a pulsar is so dense that a teaspoon full would weigh a billion tonnes.
The discovery was made using NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite, launched in 1995.
The second youngest pulsar was formed by a supernova in 1054 AD, which was witnessed and recorded by the Chinese as a new star so bright it could be seen in broad daylight for several weeks.
PSR J1846-0258, is located on the other side of our Milky Way galaxy, some 60,000 light years away and is only 700 years old. A pulsar is the compressed core of a massive star, which has blown itself to smithereens in a supernova. A sphere the size of a small city, a pulsar is so dense that a teaspoon full would weigh a billion tonnes.
The discovery was made using NASA's Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer satellite, launched in 1995.
The second youngest pulsar was formed by a supernova in 1054 AD, which was witnessed and recorded by the Chinese as a new star so bright it could be seen in broad daylight for several weeks.